Kia announces e-Niro UK sale date, pricing and corrected range

The all-new battery electric version of the Kia Niro will officially go on sale in the UK from April 1, 2019, the South Korean carmaker announced on Tuesday (UK time).

It’s not an April Fools trick either – the carmaker has also announced pricing, and a corrected range after an error in WLTP testing methods were uncovered.

A single “First Edition” 64kWh model of the e-Niro, which was unveiled last week at the LA Auto Show alongside its counterpart the all-electric 2020 Soul crossover SUV, will go on sale in the UK for £32,995 (after deducting the plug-in car grant, that comes out at about $A57,000 converted).

The UK plug-in car grant, which was recently restricted to all-electric vehicles only, is up to £3,500 based on 35 per cent of the vehicle’s purchase price, putting the full purchase price of the e-Niro at  £36,495 (around $A63,000).

The 455km driving range – which has been downgraded from an original 485km due to the same error that resulted in fellow EV maker Hyundai also correcting its Kona Electric range this week – represents what Kia describes as “class-leading”.

Indeed, it tops the Hyundai Kona Electric by 6km, according to the strictly regulated WLTP cycle that is the requirement for all EVs to be approved in the EU and UK.

Featuring styling details to distinguish itself from its hybrid and PHEV equivalents, the all-electric e-Niro is Hyundai’s second ever zero emissions electric vehicle to be sold on the global stage.

These design details include a “tiger-nose” grille on the front end – with an integrated charging port – and two arrow-shaped daytime lights added to either side of the front bumper design with blue accents, to really differentiate the all-electric model.

As for features – many of which were covered in our LA launch article earlier this week – there are a lot to cover, with Kia describing the EV as “high-specification, feature-rich model”.

We hope to add the Kia e-Niro to our newly published EV Models section as soon as a more definite date is announced for Australia.

While we have previously reported that it will be making it here by the end of this year or early next – the fact that the UK is announcing pricing just under four months ahead of sales indicates it may take longer to reach Antipodean shores.

Kia Australia have been contacted for comment and we will update here as news comes to hand.